Playing Pretend
by Andrea1301
Summary: Three months, ninety days, two thousand one hundred sixty hours, she had been pregnant. / Wine-infused Tori Vega makes a mistake. Bade.


**A/N: This is my entry for the last badeprompts's challenge: "She didn't tell you, did she?" My personal prompt was **_**wine-infused. **_**I hope I did it justice. **

Playing Pretend

…

"_We are actors in our lives, pretending to be who we want people to think we are."  
- Simone Elkeles_

…

Five minutes seemed like the longest time ever to Jade West-Oliver. The clock on the kitchen ticked with every passing second, and it took every ounce of her self-control not to hit it with a broom.

Five minutes used to feel like little time for Jade – five minutes in the oven, five minutes before the movie starts, five minutes more and class will be over.

(Funny how _freaking long_ five minutes felt like now.) Just three hundred seconds before she found out the truth, before she finally found out if she was _actually _pregnant – not that she didn't know she was already.

It was just like Tori Vega to suggest that she indeed, take a test. The girl didn't believe in her ability to _know – _she was the one carrying the fetus inside of her, after all.

So (as always) she ended up doing what Vega told her to do.

It actually looked like a good idea now, having a proof to show Beck. He was still away filming his TV show, _Socio, _and wouldn't be back home for three months. Talk about bad timing.

Anyhow, the five minutes which the box had instructed where finally over, and Jade took the plastic stick on her hands, closing her eyes after deciding she was not ready yet.

Five minutes was too little time, anyways.

Of course, she did the only thing she knew how to do when she panicked – she called Tori.

As bad with solving problems as the younger Vega was, she was pretty useful when it came to handling a nervous Jade.

She picked up at the third ring. "Jade?" She mumbled her voice sleepy and muffled because of the pillows on her head.

"Vega, you need to come over." Panic was evident in her tone.

"What- Jade, it's 3AM, what's going on?"

"I couldn't sleep knowing a _pregnancy test _was lying on my bathroom so I just got up and took it."

"Wait, wh- Jade? Are you pregnant?" Jade could hear her best friend as she fumbled to put her boots on.

"I don't know yet! I panicked, so I hid it and called you!"

"Okay, I'll be there in ten."

"It's not that far a walk."

"You know, I have my license now."

"Yeah, whatever, just be here soon."

/../

Knocking on her friend's door at 3:15 on the morning did not make it to Victoria Vega's top ten favorite things to do. The air was freezing outside, and for some reason, she had thought it would be a good idea to drive there without a coat on.

Just as her knuckles where about to turn blue (okay, she was exaggerating a bit, they were in LA after all), Jade opened the door, her blue-green eyes looking anxiously into Tori's brown ones.

"I can't do this." She finally sighed once the door was closed behind the two of them.

"Yeah you can, and you will, because I have to get back home and try to get some sleep."

"You are such a sourpuss." Jade's voice lacked its usual sarcasm as she handed Tori the paper-wrapped test. "You do it."

"Why? It's not _my _kid."

"It's also Beck's and he's not here, life's not fair." She bantered back, placing a hand unconsciously over her stomach. After a few minutes of intense staring contest, she cracked and took the test back. "Okay, whatever, I'll do it."

Tearing the makeshift wrap apart, the twenty-three year old looked at the pink plus sign on her hands.

"Guess I was right."

/../

"So, when are you telling Beck?" Six hours later, Tori had still not gotten any sleep at all – not that she minded so much, anyways.

The two of them had been up till dawn talking about baby names and past babysitting experiences, while drinking some of Tori's famous coco.

"I don't know, I mean, he'll be home in a month, and I'll still be pregnant by then right? I guess I just don't want to do it via Skype."

"Yeah, I guess you are right, I swear I won't tell a soul until Beck gets back." Tori smiled encouragingly, putting her arm around the pregnant girl's shoulders.

"Thanks, Tori, I really do owe you."

"Please, tell me something I don't know."

/../

Three months, ninety days, two thousand one hundred sixty hours, she had been pregnant. Indeed, she had just found out three weeks ago, but that detail didn't matter much to her as she clung to her stomach for dear life while sitting on the passenger seat of Andre's pick-up truck.

She had been sitting home watching TV and texting Beck when a huge stomachache began. Her first instinct had been to call Tori, as her husband was still in NYC, but the brunette had been too busy on the recording studio to pick up her phone.

At lack of a better plan, Jade had called Andre, begging him to rush to her apartment as soon as he could.

(Needless to say, he was there five minutes later.)

Now, blood had started dripping down her legs as soft whimpers escaped her mouth, she took out her phone, wanting nothing more than to call Beck and hear his calming voice over the speaker.

She knew he would pick up at the first ring.

She didn't call him, however. She had never told him about the pregnancy, and the thought of having to tell him that way was anything but appealing to her.

"What's going on?" Andre finally managed to mouth the question he'd been dying to ask since she first entered his car.

"I am pregnant." She finally cried back, unable to keep her tears from falling. "Or at least I used to be."

/../

Beck Oliver glanced at the screen of his phone as he waited for the hair-and-make-up-artist to be done with him – his hair was great as it was, really, no need to make it look even better.

"_You need to come home. – Andre." _

He answered the text quickly, throwing him a quick _"Why? Is everything okay?" _before being called on set, he figured he would deal with Andre later.

However, as the filming day went on, Beck started getting more worried as he didn't get his usual texts from Jade. He checked his phone every chance he had, but there was no sign from either his wife or his best friend.

Worried out of his mind, he asked the director to call it an early wrap and left the set to head to his hotel, calling Jade's cellphone nonstop while walking.

When she didn't pick up after the ninth ring, he knew something was wrong.

(Boy, if he was right.)

/../

"Hello? Cat Valentine here! May I know who this is?" His friend's cheery voice greeted him on the other side of the phone.

"Hi, Cat, this is Beck, do you know – "

"Beck?! _Oh em gee! _I miss you so much! When are you coming home? Have you talked to Jade? I bet she misses you too, because you haven't been home in so long!"

"Cat! Focus, I need you to tell me where Jade is." Beck Oliver was usually a patient guy towards Cat, but he had no time for her rambling today – he didn't seem to have time for anything, really.

"I don't know! Why don't you call Tori's house? I bet she's there."

"Okay, thanks, Cat."

"You're we – "but he'd already hung up.

/../

Darkness filled the empty hospital room as Tori turned off the lights and carried the empty chair close to Jade's bed. She had been lying like that for twenty hours now, even refusing to eat or drink anything, which caused her to be connected to an IV.

"Jade, look-" Tori was cut off by a hear-wreaking sob coming from the blue-eyed girl. "I am so sorry things turned out this way, but you have to be strong, and you know why?" she forced herself to carry on, "because Beck will be back from NYC any time now, and he will need some answers. You are the only one who can give him that, Jade."

"I am not telling him." Her cold, sharp, tone cut through the icy silence that had installed itself in the hospital bedroom. "And you are not telling him either."

"_What?!"_ Tori gasped as she took her hand away from Jade's cold ones. "You can't be serious. I understood when you told me you wouldn't tell him you were pregnant until he came back, but this is too much. I know, and Andre knows, and you can't have us lie to him like that."

"I won't tell him, and you won't either." She repeated, like she was talking to a five year old. "This was my baby, and I am going to have to live with it for the rest of my life, but Beck doesn't have to, and I won't let him go through what _I _am going through, not if I can help it."

"You are not doing the right thing here, Jade. Beck needs the truth, and you need _him." _Her words echoed between the four white walls.

"You won't tell him, okay?"

"I won't."

/../

**To: Cat Valentine  
I am coming home**

**To: Beck Oliver  
OMG really?! I am throwing you a welcome back party! : )))**

**To: Cat Valentine.  
Thanks, Cat. Just don't tell Jade. I want to surprise her.**

**To: Beck Oliver  
I thought Jade hated surprises ?**

**To: Cat Valentine  
She does.**

/../

"Beck is coming home." Those words managed to get Jade out of her stupor; she closed her eyes tightly, before sighing and resting her hand on her forehead.

She knew he was going to – sooner or later he had to return home, she was just praying it was later rather than sooner.

It was not like they hadn't talked at all. (If a few text messages and late night emails counted like talking, that is.)

She had pretended to be down with the flu.

He had pretended to believe her.

But now Beck was coming home, and pretending wouldn't be enough. She needed to be okay, she needed to be fine – or at least he needed to believe she was.

"Cat is throwing him a welcome home party." Tori announced, her tone lacking the usual excitement entailed to partying.

"Tell Cat to count me in."

**Text  
To: Beck Oliver  
See you at your welcome back party. Feeling a lot better. Love you.**

**To: Jade Oliver  
Missed you lots. Love you more.**

/../

Hanging above the fully adorned dinner table, hung the biggest, most expensive _Welcome Back Home _sign anyone at the party had ever seen before.

(It _was _a Cat Valentine's party after all, and she was not known as the best party planner on the history of Los Angeles for nothing.)

Jade paraded through the house, thanking anyone she saw for coming, and forcing a smile when they asked any _baby _relatedquestions. She and Beck were still considered newlyweds, after all.

Her fake grin faltered for a second, however, when she caught a glance of her sister in law, proudly carrying a car seat around and telling anyone willing to listen about how _exhausting _being a first time mom could be – (not that she didn't have forty maids around to take her of her daughter).

Jealousy made her heart ache as she took the baby girl in her arms, complimenting Hanna on _how cute and big _her daughter was.

She ran off to the bathroom as soon as the little girl was off her arms, and she hugged her knees to her chest, trying for the thirtieth time that day to keep her tears from falling.

Just as she was making her way back to the living room, loud cheers could be heard by the door, and before she knew it, Jade was sprinting (heels, tight dress and all) towards her husband.

Luckily for her, Beck took her right into his arms, his strong hands hugging her close to his body, and for the first time in the last month, she felt _whole._

Tears started streaming down her face, and Tori was quick to invite everyone to the backyard, claiming to give the reunited couple some alone time.

"Babe? Are you okay?" Beck asked, his strong warm hands massaging her shoulders.

"I am fine, I just missed you too much." She faked a smile and kissed him, breathing in his cologne and after shave she had longed for the last month.

And after that, the both of them made their way to the dance floor, not before stopping by the bar and taking _a-little-too-many _vodka glasses.

It was his welcome back party, after all.

/../

An hour or so later, it was obvious to Beck that everyone present was drunk. Even sweet little Cat was doing some serious damage to her own living room, claiming that the thousand dollar painting that hung on her wall lacked some color before throwing a blue colored jelly shot at it.

"That's better."

As he was making his way to the backyard – he had lost track of Jade half an hour ago and he had a feeling something was very _very _wrong – Tori Vega slammed herself clumsily against his chest.

"Heeey Beck." Her eyes were dull from all the alcohol she had induced, and it was not a secret she was pretty out of her senses. "I am so glad you are back, you know, Jade really needed you to be here for her. It's been an awful month, and I wanted you to know that you can count on me."

"What- what are you talking about?"

Confusion was evident on the twenty four year old's face as he tried to make sense of what Tori was saying.

"I'm talking about the baby, silly! It would have been the cutest baby alive, you two should know that." She slurred, resting her hand on her forehead. "Oh my God, I think I have a fever."

"Tori, focus. What baby are you talking about?" Beck took her by the shoulders. He didn't want to believe what she was telling him, but you know what they say.

_Drunken words, sober thoughts._

"The baby you and Jade were going to have before she lost it – oh wait. She didn't tell you, did she?" Her eyes watered as she realized what she had just said.

She sobered up instantly, crying into her hands.

"She didn't tell you and she told me not to! Oh God, she is going to kill me!" She was shaking, mumbling incoherent words to herself.

Beck knew the right thing to do would be hold her, tell her it was okay, and that Jade would be fine, but he didn't – not because he didn't want to – but because he didn't want to make any more promises he couldn't keep.

So, after throwing Tori one last glance, he sprinted towards the upper floor of the Valentine's residence. There were three rooms, each of them with the door locked, and the lights off. Just as he was making his way back to the living room, a loud sob guided him towards the last bedroom.

Praying that his wife had not locked the door, he tried to open it, and sighed in relief when he did. Jade was sitting on the floor, one hand on her stomach and the other one on her forehead. Her heart-wrecking sobs shook her body violently.

"Jade? What- what's going on?"

As soon as she heard his voice, Jade got up on her feet, and run a hand through her cheeks – thank God for the waterproof mascara.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I disappeared, I'm just a little nauseous." As if on cue, Beck took her wrist on his hands and pulled her so her head was resting on his shoulder.

With his hands on her back, he planted soothing kisses on her neck and collarbone while she whimpered quietly. "She told you, didn't she?" Her voice was full of venom, something he had not heard since they graduated from Hollywood Arts.

"She did the right thing, you know."

"Of course she did, she always does." She mocked.

Beck guided her to the queen-sized bed and sat down next to her.

"I am sorry." She finally admitted. "I should have told you, I just didn't want you to suffer the way I did, no one deserves something like that-"

"Neither do you, this was _our_ baby, babe."

"I know that, but _I _was the one carrying it. My only fucking job was to keep it alive for nine months and I failed. I failed our kid, I failed myself, I failed_ you._" He hugged her close to his chest, soothingly stroking her hair.

"You didn't fail anyone, Jade. This is not your fault."

"I know."

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

"I love you."

"I know." She sighed as she pressed a kiss to his lips. "I just don't feel like that's enough anymore"

"It used to be."

"It will be again, someday."

"Promise?" Beck looked right into her beautiful blue-green eyes.

"Promise."

"Then that's enough for me."

/../

"_Do you have any idea how cute our babies will be?" _

"_We are not even married yet, idiot."_

"_They'll have your eyes and your nose and lips."_

"_And your hair and skin tone."_

"_Our kids will be the luckiest ever."_

"_Of course they will. They'll have a cool mom like me."_

"_The coolest."_

"_Do you really believe we will make it?" _

"_I don't have a single doubt in my mind about it."_

/../

**A/N: This is finished and we can all cry together omfg. You have no idea how long it took me to write this.**

**Just to make things clear, the last one is a flashback, from before they were even married. Hope this wasn't too angsty (?)**

**Thanks for reading and review if you'd like : )**

**Xoxo- Andrea.**

**Btw, if any of you can catch the phrase I took from my favorite Victorious episode, you can PM me with a request for a bade oneshot! **


End file.
